I used to tend bar at a country club and they were popular ages ago by the +50 set. That’s not an insult but they were popular for a time with the golfers.
They used to have some elderly patrons that used to order a Presbyterian-
whiskey and 1/2 club soda and 1/2 gingerale
My favorite from the senior set was a Highball. It reminded me of an old movie. Whiskey & Gingerale.
I thought half and half meant half dry vermouth and half sweet. But I could be wrong.
Additional: Does “tall” mean double the mixer & the “regular” amount of booze? I’ve had some tall rum & cokes that hit the spot here in Houston. In the summer.
I was told by a bartender that it meant a tall glass as opposed to a short glass. Although they usually hold the same amount of liquid. That may vary by area though.
I thought “perfect” was the term for that. Of course, that leads to all kinds of problems if you try to order a “perfect martini” – most people don’t go for sweet vermouth any more, and lots of people would assume you’re ordering a martini made to perfection.
Reminds me of the Frasier episode where Niles orders a vodka martini with three olives. Frasier: “If you bring him 2 olives, if you bring him 4, he WILL send it back.”
Of course. Everyone knows a martini properly contains 3 olives. Bunch of uncivilized heathens trying to pass off a martini without 3 olives…what IS this world coming to?
I’m not sure I agree with the sentiment. I don’t order frou-frou drink options. But if I’m in a high end bar, I don’t see why I shouldn’t if you pay and tip appropriately. Bartenders are forever complaining that they deserve tips for opening bottles of beer so that you can order another, etc. which is fine if this actually does reduce waiting times or you actually do get the occasional free drink out of the deal. I don’t see a problem with asking for the drink you want – if you respect the extra work and time. I would not hesitate to ask a chef to do something special to the food if I wanted that, and under the same conditions.
I’ve seen bartenders pissed off if you order a rusty nail instead of a bottle of beer. They’re being paid to mix drinks.
With just the right balance of ingredients.
And what about a SoCo with Lime? :rolleyes:
Isn’t that a single cube o’ ice in a glass, on the house? 
What Antinor01 said basically. It’s the size of the glass. Some tall glasses only look bigger but when you fill them with ice the interior holds about the same as a lowball or old-fashioned glass. In some places were you to order a tall they might serve it in a pint glass, which would be a lot more mixer.
A lot of your basic drinks like rum & cokes and gin & tonics normally come in tall glasses to being with. If you’re at a bar where they serve them in small glasses you could ask for a tall, but if they’re already serving them in tall glasses the bartender’s liable to ask what you mean. Taller? Double? Collins glass? Foo-foo drink glass?
mrklutz is right about “perfect.” It applies to Manhattans, Martinis and Rob Roys and it’s half sweet and half dry vermouth.
I first had that in Boston, though I suppose that was due to my Long Island roommate. Ordering it in Seattle, the bartender had never heard of it.
The drink that no bartender I’ve asked knows how to make is the “Moscow Mule” (although older bartenders have heard of it). It’s funny, since that drink is one of the most popular cocktails in Japan, and as easy to get as a screwdriver.
Thing is, the bartender isn’t just dealing with your order–he/she also has to deal with everybody else. So what you order also affects how other people get served. I was at a high-end bar on New Year’s Eve when one table decided that they all wanted mojitos. These take a long time to make even if the bartender does a half-assed job of it, so it threw off his pace and he ended up totally slammed for the next three or four hours. When we saw what was going on, the regulars suddenly switched to ordering shots and wine because they were faster and easier to pour.
At another high-end bar, the bartender simply refused to serve me a complicated drink when he was slammed. I then ordered a shot, he comped it, I gave him a good tip, and we called it even.
I worked as a chef in a fairly good restaurant in high school and university. People ordered whatever fancy dish they wanted even if the place was busy. I didn’t try to convince them to eat Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee out of a can instead of ordering dishes with sauces that took two days to make.
If the bartender is busy, and you want your drink quickly, by all means order something easy to make. Most of the stuff I drink already fits this bill. But if I wanted something pretentious or fruity and stupid, so be it. Hopefully you’ve already ordered something simpler and tipped well. I’ve seen plenty of bartenders take a tip, but don’t comp or speed up the service; then get upset if you don’t continue to tip them.
Ok, I’ll bite. What’s a Moscow Mule?
Vodka, lime, and ginger ale.